Oral history interview with Dr. Thelma Jackson conducted by dindria barrow on May 11, 2023. In this interview, Thelma shares about her childhood, her education, her move to Washington and her work in many different academic areas and social arenas. Thelma discusses how we need to be present about the past and future. To paraphrase, staying present will help us realize what work needs to be done in our community and society. Thelma shares her new book and how oral histories were a key component of telling the Black community’s story in Lacey and Thurston County.

Oral history interview of Ronald D. Morrison conducted by dindria barrow on April 8th, 2023, as part of the Archiving Northeast Communities event located at the Mottet library branch.

Oral history interview with Tacoma resident Wanda Thompson conducted by dindria barrow on June 3, 2023. In this interview, Wanda shares her life’s journey from being born in a small rural town in Florida to being crowned Miss Hilltop, from starting her own modeling agency to working for the Department of Corrections, from being an arts commissioner to being a recognized local leader in multiple fields. Education was the key to her many successes, and she credits her family in helping her discover the love of stories, listening to them, reading them, writing them, and teaching them to others. As her mom used to say, “Everybody has a story to tell.”